The Russian Revolution inspired hope, upheaval and profound personal tragedy. This course compares two of Russia's greatest twentieth-century poets—Vladimir Mayakovsky, who embraced the Revolution, and Anna Akhmatova, whose poetry bore witness to its human cost. Through close reading and discussion of their works, participants will explore how literature responds to political upheaval, the relationship between art and ideology, and the enduring power of poetry to express both conviction and dissent. Suitable for anyone interested in literature, history and Russian culture.
Face to face
- Boris Dralyuk – 1917: Stories and Poems from the Russian Revolution
- Anna Akhmatova – The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova (Translated by Judith Hemschemeyer)
- Vladimir Mayakovsky – Selected Poems (Translated by Herbert Marshall)
- Ronald Hingley – Nightingale Fever: Russian Poets in Revolution
- Bengt Wingfield – Mayakovsky: A Biography
- Historical and cultural context
- Vladimir Mayakovsky:the revolutionary voice
- Anna Akhmatova: fitness and victim
- Comparison and reflection
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Understand the historical and context of revolutionary Russia
- Identify key differences between avant-garde and classical poetic traditions
- Analyse how poetry reflects political ideology and personal experience
- Compare contrasting artistic responses to revolution
- Engage with major poems by both Akhmatova and Mayakovsky
